Listen and Obey
by SisterAdelaide
Summary: Again please pardon my poor writing. Angsty Adult Themes with the Wyatts that involves some hairpulling and clothes being torn off.
1. Chapter 1

She sat on the front porch waiting; ignoring the rain and the thick air as she absently twirled a strand of damp hair around her finger. She hated waiting, but what else did she have to do? Her chores were all done and it wasn't like anyone was here to keep her entertained. He'd left her early this morning, taking his men, a gun and his leather coat with him. She'd barely been awake when he had mumbled something about checking the traps out in the marshes. Now it was nearly dark. She knew the rain was the reason for him being gone so long. She also knew that he would be in a sour mood when they got back, provided they were back any time soon.

Releasing the strand of hair she let out an annoyed sigh as the lightening bugs began to appear. The faintest feeling of worry began to creep over her. What if something happened to them? What was she supposed to do? It's not like they had told her how to navigate the marshes or how to handle an emergency. Truth be told, she wasn't really even supposed to be out of the house, but Bray never minded her getting some fresh air. Especially since she mainly kept to the porch. On instinct she pulled part of her lip in between her teeth, gently biting it. Should she go looking for them? The sun was all but gone by now and the lantern was resting near the front door. Nervously fidgeting, she turned to look at it. What to do? She had almost made her mind up when she heard shouting coming from the trees. She turned back, sitting up slightly as she let out the breath she had been holding. Slowly they emerged from the woods, Bray walking well ahead of the others. Obviously something had happened, especially as Erick was hanging his head.

He stormed up to the house, his hat resting low over his eyes, while the ends of the coat flew out around him. From her vantage point it was clear to see that sour didn't even begin to describe how foul his mood was. Quickly, she got up to meet him, but the second he reached her she regretted it. Without so much as a word, Bray forcibly grabbed her by her bicep, dragging her up the stairs and into the house. She made a move to protest but all that earned her was a harsh glare. They burst through the front door together, Bray tracking mud all over her freshly waxed floor. Not that he cared. She knew what came next. That didn't make it hurt any less when he slammed her into the wall, pressing her into it with his full body weight as he gazed down at her with those piercing blue eyes of his. One hand came up winding its way into her damp hair, easily taking control of her head. While the other passed over her chin, his finger gently tracing her jaw. She never heard Luke and Erick come in. All she could hear was the sound of his labored breathing as he studied her, obviously deciding what he wanted to do. He was angry, it was all too clear. The question was who in the group was going to feel that anger.  
"You're so pretty you know that?" She blinked. "You remind of this doe we **almost** had today." She couldn't see it but behind Bray, Erick flinched. "She was pretty too and so very frightened. In fact I'd bet her heart was probably beating a million miles a minute, just like yours is right now." He tilted her head upwards slightly, giving her an odd smile. "But she got away….didn't she Erick?" All Erick did was grunt a response. "Not like you though." His finger brushed her jaw again. "I've got you firmly in my trap, don't I darlin'." She nodded. "And you'll never try to get away, will you?" She started to shake her head but a hard pull on her hair stopped the motion. "**Answer me like you should girl. I said you'll never try to get away, will you?**"  
"No Bray." He smiled at her again, scaring her slightly. It must've shown as she shivered slightly making him laugh.  
"Good girl. You're such a good little lamb." He stepped back slightly looking her over. His hand left her face, while the other still kept a tight grip in her hair. He ran his fingers over the fabric, absently tracing the patterns. "I never liked the dress much. Never liked it at all." His eyes came up to hers. "You came here in this, didn't you?"  
"Yes Bray."  
"You have another don't you?" She smiled at him nodding. "You wear that one from now on….." He let go of her hair stepping back from her, finally letting her see Luke and Erick. "As for this one, well…." Swiftly and suddenly he reached out with both hands and grabbed either side of the dress. With one hard tug it split open, buttons flying everywhere, making her shriek. He easily pulled it off her body, wadding it up in his hands and tossing it out the still open front door. Instinctively she tried to cover herself, which simply made him laugh at her. "Aw what's the matter darlin'? Don't tell me you're getting all shy on me now." Bray grabbed her hands, forcibly pulling them away from her body. She struggled a bit, but that only made him laugh at her as he tightened his grip on her. They wrestled for a minute, Bray finally winning when he succeeded in wrenching her hands behind her back. "What's wrong honey?" He walked around her, slowly putting her on display for Luke and Erick. "You don't want your brothers to see how pretty you are?" He stopped behind her, making her flinch as he tightened his grip on her. "Look how she looks away." He pulled her into him, one hand letting go of her while the other easily held her hands in place. It came through her hair before he grasped her chin and forcibly turned her head so she had to look at Luke and Erick. One glance at their faces was just humiliating. They were both just standing there staring, Luke with a small smirk while Erick stood there slightly slack jawed.

Bray leaned in, kissing her behind the ear before he whispered into it. "They like you, did you know that?" She shook her head no. "Erick told me he thinks you're the most beautiful thing he's laid eyes on and as for old Luke over there, well he'd do things to you that would make a whore blush." She shivered slightly as she looked at Luke. His smirk got bigger, which only made her try to step back. "Nothing to be scared of, he won't hurt you…..unless I let him."  
"Bray…I…." The hand on her wrists got even tighter, silencing her. He wasn't interested in anything beyond humiliating her.  
"You're so good you know that. You got everything done today, didn't you?"  
"Of course Bray." He let go of her chin, running his fingers over her hair.  
"That's good, that's so very good. It's nice to know that someone in this house can listen." She watched Erick's eyes drop to the floor.  
"Erick…." His flinched. "Tell your sister why there's no dinner for her to make tomorrow."  
"I let it get away." Bray grunted, obviously not completely satisfied.  
"And?" She glanced at Luke. Clearly he had been waiting for his queue to jump in.  
"I wasn't listening and it got away."  
"Tell her why you weren't listening."  
"I was thinking about you…." He gestured to her current state of undress, which only made her eyes fall to the floor. It had become all too clear what this was all about.  
"Hear that darlin? He was thinking all about you and not on what he was supposed to be doing. Should I make him tell you what he'd do to you if I gave him the chance?" She didn't look up. She only managed to slightly shake her head. "Or maybe I should just have Luke show him what you do with such a pretty thing like you." She flinched, hearing Luke chuckle. "Does she deserve that Erick, after she's been such a good girl does she really deserve that? You wouldn't like it if I told Luke to fuck her right here in front of you, would you?"  
"No Bray." She glanced over at Luke, who licked his lips.  
"I don't think she'd care for it either. Would you darlin?" She shook her head no. "I didn't think so." He let go of her hands for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her, trying to still her. She only just realized that she was shaking. "Poor little thing. You're shaking like a leaf." He glanced at the tall ginger again. "Erick apologize to your sister for what you've made me do to her." He did so which only made Bray laugh. His mood had almost instantly lightened. "You won't make me do that to her again will you? Erick shook his head no. "Good. Now be a good brother and go get your sister her other dress. I'd hate for her to have to suffer any more for your incompetence." Erick turned quickly dashing up the stairs, leaving a trail of mud behind him.  
"Is that supper I smell?" She weakly smiled. "It smells wonderful." He kissed her cheek. "And the house looks wonderful. You take such good care of it and us, doesn't she Luke?" The dark haired man nodded. "Don't you worry about all the mud, Erick will take care of it after supper." He leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "You just worry about taking care of me, and you make sure Erick hears it, understand?"  
"Yes Bray."  
"Who do you obey?"  
"You" He smiled as they all heard Erick come back down the stairs.  
"Good girl." He kissed her temple and slowly let her go. The leather coat was easily shrugged off and tossed to the side. "Erick…" The larger man paused at the base of the stairs. "After supper you're to clean up all the mud that got tracked throughout the house." He nodded, holding the dress out to her. She stepped forward, quickly taking it and putting it on. Bray nodded his approval before he headed back to the kitchen. "One of you get the door before you come back." Luke glared at both of them watching as she quickly stepped away from Erick, her eyes firmly fixed to the floor. She quietly closed the door before she followed Bray into the kitchen. Luke kicked off his shoes and scratched his beard before he watched Erick do the same. The two gave each other a silent look, Luke smirking as Erick dropped his head. Silently they headed into the kitchen together, joining the rest of the family for supper.


	2. Chapter 2

A few weeks later and things were back to normal, well as normal as they could be. None of them spoke about the incident in foyer. The only other time it had ever been mentioned was when Bray had insisted that he had done it for everyone's own good. She had her doubts, but she wasn't about to voice them. She had seen the wrath that was incurred for questioning anything in this place and she was not keen on bringing it down onto herself. Instead she did what she always did. She bit her tongue and buried herself into her chores. Most of the time that worked. It kept her distracted to the point that she could block the others out. Occasionally it didn't. That's when she could feel someone watching and every once in a while she would catch Erick staring.

A loud crash came from the general vicinity of the barn, snapping her out of her thoughts and making her jump. As far as she knew everyone was gone, or they were supposed to be. Swallowing, she grabbed the shirt she had dropped and quickly threw it up on the line. God help her if the source of the noise was Bray and he found her leaving his clothes on the ground. Her shaking fingers fumbled with the pins for a minute before she finally succeeded in securing them onto the line. Stepping away, she took a few steps towards the barn doing her best to calm herself. Maybe something had just fallen. That was it. They were always collecting things here. Maybe Luke and Erick had just stacked something wrong and it had fallen. That excuse worked just fine until another crash happened. This one loud enough to scare her right out of her house shoes. Her instinct was run straight back into the house, but she didn't. Instead she stood there for a minute doing her best to steady her pounding her heart. Even if everyone else was gone, someone or something was in the barn. What if they were hurt? If that was the case she really couldn't just run back inside and hide, could she?

Taking a deep breath she took a few steps towards the barn trying her best to peer in, but the door wasn't open far enough for her to see much of anything. She kept moving, forgetting all about the wet clothes in the hamper as she inched her way closer.  
"He….Hello?" Silence. She swallowed calling out again. "If someone's in there just say so. I….I won't hurt you." Again silence. Maybe something or a series of something's had fallen after all. Reaching the door, she slowly opened it and peered inside. It looked empty. "Is anyone in here?" She stepped inside, keeping an eye on the floor so she didn't step on anything in her bare feet. She was so fixated on the floor and with everything else that never saw the shadow just behind the door. There was nothing she could do, not when it slammed the door shut or when she realized she was trapped. All she could do was stare at it and watch as it descended upon her. Later she remembered a feeble attempt at running but it was cut short when a hand wrapped itself around her face and pushed her deeper into the barn; slamming her into the center post. It knocked the wind out of her just long enough for the hand to leave her face and grab hold of one of her wrists. Seconds later her other wrist was snatched up and she could feel her arms being wrapped around the post. "No!" She tried to pull away, but whoever had her wasn't giving an inch. "Stop! I mean it stop! The people that live here…..they won't like this…." Her wrists met and that's when she felt the rope start to bite into her skin. "NO!" This time tried even harder to pull away, screaming for anyone to help her. All it earned her was the rope getting even tighter and a hand over her mouth to silence her. When she got quiet the hand went away and within seconds the ropes were secure. Whoever had her was intending on keeping her right where she was. "Listen…The men I live with, they're dangerous. They'll….." A match was struck and the soft light of an oil lantern quickly filled the dark space. The shadow walked around from behind her and what she saw filled her with both relief and dread at the same time. "Erick?" He nodded slowly hanging the lantern above them. "What are you doing? Where's Bray?  
"Out." He reached out, gingerly cupping his hands around her face.  
"Why aren't you with them?" He ran his thumbs over her cheeks, smiling at the sensation.  
"Hunting." She blinked.  
"They think you're hunting?" He nodded again laughing a little. It was the first time she'd ever heard him laugh and it scared her. Truth was Bray and Luke would never let Erick go anywhere on his own. He was too prone to snapping at a moment's notice. She had a hunch they bought his excuse because they had figured he was up to something, but knowing Erick he was proud that he'd managed to trick all of them. "I caught myself a doe." She knew what that meant. One of his hands moved away from her face and came to rest over her heart, which was pounding. He lightly rubbed her chest in an attempted to calm her. "Don't be scared." That was easier said than done. A large man that was prone to violent outbursts had just trapped her and tied her to a pole. Erick had demonstrated more than once that he didn't know his own strength. He could easily hurt her and never even realize he'd done it. He rubbed her chest again, causing her to squirm against the ropes. She was hoping to get loose, hell she was praying for it. But Erick had tied them good and tight.  
"Erick you can't do this." The hand on her chest found its way to the buttons on the front of her dress. One by one he started to open them. "Erick stop." The other hand left her face and together, both of his hands opened the dress, revealing all of her to him. "Erick I mean it. If Bray catches us we'll be dead." "Won't be back till dark." That didn't reassure her. He pushed the dress onto her shoulders before he took a step back, smiling as he stared. She heard a stool being drug from the darkness and within seconds he was seated in front of her; clearly enjoying his handy work.

It dawned on her that he had planned this. Clearly he had liked what had happened in the foyer and he was doing his best to recreate it sans Bray and Luke. She thought back to him watching her, in some cases following her. It wasn't out of curiosity, it was to get her routine down. He was timing everything out, waiting for his moment to get her alone. He was obviously a better hunter than any of them thought. Unfortunately he was a sloppy one; the basket and her slippers were sitting out in the yard. That would be a dead giveaway to Bray that something was amiss and it wouldn't take him or Luke long to find them from there. She shuddered at the thought of what would happen then. Erick must've seen her shudder because his proud smile faded slightly. He got up and stepped back over, running his fingers over her face. "Cold?" She shook her head.  
"I'm scared."  
"Don't be." She let out an exasperated sigh.  
"Erick how can I not be? When Bray finds out about this he'll be furious. I was one nod away from being handed over to Luke the last time." He stepped back from her. "What do think will happen when Bray comes home and he finds me out here tied up? He's going to make me tell him it was you." He put his hands on his head, eyes flying around the barn. "Erick please. You had your fun but you need to let me go now." He shook his head, looking at her again. There was something in his eyes, something that worried her. "Erick?" He turned looking at her. He held up one of his hands gesturing for her to stay before he started to rush out of the barn. "Erick!" The doors flew open and the afternoon light filled the space. Now more than ever she struggled against the ropes, but her struggles were still in vain. Before too long she could feel a warm sensation on her wrists, running its way over her hands and dripping off her fingers. The distinct smell of blood filled her nostrils. Great, things couldn't get any better for her. There had been a chance that Bray wouldn't find out. It had been a slim one, but it was still a chance. Now that chance was all but gone. From her vantage point she could tell the light was already beginning to soften and soon it would start to fade. One way or another it wouldn't be long now.

Erick came back through the barn door, obviously in a rush. She thought he had finally decided to let her go, but he walked by her. Instead he headed towards the back of the barn. She heard him rummaging for something for a few minutes before she felt him behind her again. To her relief she felt a knife begin to cut the ropes loose and gradually they fell away. Unfortunately, her relief was very short lived. The second the rope was gone he grabbed hold of her wrist to stop her from running away. She felt herself being yanked around the pole and soon she was face to face with him. Clearly he wasn't finished with her.  
"Don't struggle." She gave him a confused look. Before she could even ask, he had spun her around and pressed her face first into the pole. Her dress was roughly pulled from her shoulders and tossed at her feet. This was going from bad to worse. Don't struggle. She had a pretty good idea of what he meant now. If he was recreating the night in the foyer then the next step was for her to get fucked. But to her surprise, she felt him grab her free wrist and soon he was holding onto both of them with one hand. He fumbled with something for a minute before she felt more rope being applied. An exasperated sigh managed to get past her as he cinched her wrists together. At least he had made these a little looser than the last set. Then she was spun back around to face him. What now?


	3. Chapter 3

Erick hadn't lied. It was nearly dark when Bray and Luke pulled up to the house. Both of them were exhausted and it was easy to see that they were happy to be home. Trips to the city were always a challenge. People outside their world were always so difficult to deal with. Just once Bray wished he could return home without a headache the size of Texas. They tiredly climbed the stairs, basking in the warm light that was coming from inside the house. They knew what was waiting for them on the inside too. Ever since they had brought her here, she always seemed to take such good care of them. It made coming home that much easier that she did.  
"Oh I hope she cooked something good." Bray laughed.  
"She always cooks something good."  
"Yea but today's laundry day and she seems to make the best things on laundry day. All I can think about is her chicken and greens with a big old helping of potatoes and a nice slice of fresh pie for dessert." Bray could only smile. That sounded just fine to him. "I only hope little brother didn't bother her too much. Showing him the Promised Land only seemed to encourage him." They climbed the steps together, both of them hitting the porch at the same time.  
"He can look all he wants. I can't fault him for wanting too. She's easier on the eyes than anything else we've found in recent memory. I draw that line at touching. He lays a finger on her without my say so and he'll hear about it. She's mine first, yours second and Erick's third. If I need to remind him of the pecking order I will." Bray stepped in front of Luke, easily wrapping his hand around the door handle. He was anticipating the wonderful smell of dinner just as much as Luke was.  
Bray turned the door knob prepping himself to be greeted with the sounds of pots clanging and the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen, but instead he was greet with nothing. There were no delicious smells or sounds. The house was completely still.  
"Well this certainly isn't right." The two men entered, Luke closing the door for Bray. "Lila!" Silence. Bray walked a little further down the front hall. "Lila! Girl where are you?" Again nothing. Bray turned to Luke, who had a look of concern on his face. An uneasy feeling over took both men. "I mean it Lila. Come out now." For the third time he was met with silence. Bray nodded towards the stairs, watching Luke quickly dash up them. While Luke searched upstairs, Bray searched the main floor and the basement. Both men went room by room until they both ended up in the kitchen, staring at each other in aggravation and bewilderment. The house was empty. She was gone.  
"All she has for shoes are a pair of slippers. I doubt she could've made it to the main road let alone the nearest town. Fuck she doesn't even know where the nearest town is." Bray nodded doing his best to think.  
"Was her room out of sorts?" Luke shook his head no while Bray scratched his chin. "This doesn't make any sense. I wouldn't take her for a runner."  
"We've left her here before and she's never gone. She never even leaves the house….." Bray's head snapped towards the back window. Luke didn't need to finish that statement. Bray rushed towards the back door. Even in the faint light he could still see the clothes hanging on the lines. Laundry Day. She only ever left the house on laundry day and even then she never strayed much past the lines. Both men reached the lines in a matter of seconds and they both saw the same thing; the laundry basket, which was still full of clothes, resting on the ground and her over turned slippers laying a few feet away. "What the hell?" Bray did the math faster than Luke. She hadn't left, she'd been taken. Bray didn't need to think overly hard on who would want to do that.  
"Go find your brother." Luke gave Bray a knowing look. "I don't care where he is or what he's doing. You bring him in the house now and you tell him he best obey or there will be absolute hell to pay."  
An hour later Erick was on his knees as Bray glared at him from his rocking chair. Luke was by his side looking less irritated than Bray but clearly concerned. More evidence of what may have transpired had been found. The sight of it had made Bray's blood positively boil. The way they had found Erick certainly hadn't help matters either. Now here they were. Bray had said there would be hell to pay and Luke had little doubt the cost was about to be taken out of Erick's hide.  
"Son" Erick flinched. Bray's tone was harsher than acid. "Would you like to explain to me why your brother found you in the barn washing a blood stain out of the floor?" Erick shook his head, aggravating Bray. "Then perhaps you'd care to elaborate on why I found your sisters dress and a pile of rope hidden in one of the mud room cabinets?" Luke watched Erick hesitate. "Answer me!" Bray slammed his hand down onto the arm rest of the chair to emphasize his point. "What have you done with her?"  
"Did you hide her?" Erick glanced up at Luke. He looked at Bray for a moment before he nodded. "There's blood on the rope…"  
"Did you kill her?" Erick's eyes flew to Bray's face.  
"No! She's safe."  
"Then where is she?"  
"Safe." Bray rolled his eyes. He gestured to Luke to take over the questioning. It was apparent that Luke was having better luck.  
"We need to find her Erick and if you don't tell us then we'll have to go look her. You realize what's going to happen if we have to do that don't you?" Erick didn't even get a chance to reply.  
"You understand that if **I** have to go find her that not only will **I** make her tell me what happened, but **I** will also insure that you never see her again. Is that what you want Erick? I would really hate to get rid of your sister. After all she's certainly done nothing to deserve it. It would be a shame to put such a lovely girl at the bottom of the swamp with the others. I think your brother would be bereft in doing it." Luke nodded. "But that doesn't mean he won't do it." Erick started to frantically shake his head no.  
"Then tell us where she is."  
"She's safe." He just kept muttering that over and over again. Bray had had enough. It was a long shot that Erick would tell them anything in the first place.  
"Take him upstairs and put him in his room. He can stay in there until he tells us or we find her." Erick almost instantly calmed when the words _put him in his room_ passed Bray's lips. It didn't go unnoticed by either man. Regardless Luke grabbed Erick by the scruff of his neck, pulling him to his feet. They walked out together, Erick putting up almost no resistance. Something clearly wasn't right. Bray tapped his chin thoughtfully, thinking about what he had just seen. Erick hated to be sent his room. Just like he hated being on his own, but he was fine with both today. Bray smirked, while letting out a small chuckle. While Erick wouldn't tell them where she was, he may have just shown them. She was safe. That's what Erick had said. There was nowhere safer than the house. Erick would know that, he would bet on that. The only problem was Bray needed to sure. The woods weren't as safe, but they were a perfect place to hide someone. That meant that they still needed to be checked.  
"How long do you want to keep him in there for?" Bray glanced up, seeing that Luke had returned.  
"Let Erick spend a day or two in stir. See how he handles it." Luke nodded.  
"You think she's close?"  
"I know she's close. Obviously he has a plan. It's clear from his behavior that he does. He's thinking he's fooled us all and once I'm less angry about it I'll consider being impressed." Luke just smirked. "He wants to protect her, fine. You and I will go on a fool's errand tomorrow. In the meantime he can stay in his room. We'll play his game for a bit and see if that yields a better result than threats. One way or another he'll tell us where she is. It's only a matter of time now."  
"I'll check on him in the morning then." Bray only nodded. That's all he could do.


	4. Chapter 4

Erick slowly walked into his room with Luke right on his heels. The older man obviously wanted to get a better look around the room before he left Erick in there alone. Luke carefully looked over the contents of the room only to look disappointed when he didn't see anything amiss. If she was in here, then she was well hidden. That wasn't too surprising. Erick liked to take and hide things in his room all the time. In fact Luke saw several other things that had been missing, but for the moment he didn't see the thing Bray clearly wanted back. He supposed he would have to wait for Erick to slip up. He would and the consequences would be severe, but the larger man wasn't giving them a choice. Sighing, Luke turned heading for the door. He paused and turned to face Erick giving the larger man a knowing look.  
"Between us, if you don't want to tell him that's fine. Just remember that he won't let this go on for too much longer. He doesn't like when you take what's his and like it or not Erick, she's his. If you won't tell him then tell me. I'll wait till the morning to get her." Erick shook his head making Luke sigh again. "You're both already in deep shit and he'll get tired of playing by your rules, fast. One way or another we will find her and the longer it takes, the worse the punishment will be…for both of you. Keep that in mind little brother." Erick slowly nodded. "Good Night."  
"Night." Erick watched the door close. From there he waited all of five seconds before he stepped over to the closet door. Initially, he used his foot to clear some of the mess out of the way, but his excitement got the best of him. He was like a kid on Christmas morning. Bending over, he easily pulled his mattress out of the way. Finally his moment had come. In his mind he had been forced to wait forever for this, when in actuality it really only been a few hours. The time really didn't matter. His weeks of "hunting" had paid off. For now he had won and she was all his.

He opened the door without any real flourish. Instead he looked down, smiling at the pile of old blankets. They were exactly as he'd left them. He had planned for Bray and Luke to come looking for her. His room was nothing but piles of junk anyway, so if anyone else looked in his closet, they wouldn't find anything out of the ordinary. He ran his hand over his beard, doing his best to smooth it out. It didn't make much of a difference, but he had tried. Once he was satisfied he reached down, pulling the blankets away to reveal an angry Lila. At first she took a deep breath. The fresh air was obviously a welcome change. Then she glared up at him with all the contempt she could muster. It was all she could do since he had shoved two of Luke's bandanna's in her mouth and put tape over her lips just to keep her quiet. Erick easily lowered himself to the floor, sitting next to her. He reached out, his hand visibly shaking as he ran his fingers over her hair. He smiled when he made contact. She wanted to jerk her head away, but she doubted that would do her any good. It hadn't been that long ago that she'd seen the same hand that was petting her head, cleave someone else's head in two with an axe. For now she had to go along with whatever he wanted, at least whatever was in reason. She had a hunch that once he was satisfied he would let her go. That was usually what happened whenever Erick took something. He would keep it until it had served its purpose for him and then he would leave it for the others to find.  
"Mine." She blinked. What had he just said? He stopped petting her, quickly getting up. He turned away from her and headed over to what had once been a dresser. He rummaged through the drawer for a minute, grunting when he finally found what he was looking for. She did her best to see, but he tucked it into his pocket before she ever had the chance. He came back over to her, looming over her for a minute. He cocked his head to one side as if he were trying to figure something out. She had no idea what it could possibly be, that was until scooped her up, blankets and all. He carried her the few short steps to the mattress, half setting her and her dumping her onto it. Try as he might, being gentle was simply not Erick's forte. He plopped down beside her, turning her away from him.

At first she no idea what he was up to until she felt him picking at the ropes. She perked up slightly only to groan when he started to pull them away. The cuts on her wrists had reopened several times over since he'd left her up here, drenching the ropes in blood. The obvious result was one big painful mess. Never the less he got them off. He picked and pulled at them for a good ten minutes before he finally succeeded in removing them. Thank God for the tape and the bandannas, otherwise the entire house would've heard her scream at him to stop. He got up from behind her, walking across the medium sized room to a door near the front. He disappeared behind it and a second later she heard the water running. She never knew Erick had his own bathroom. She grimaced at the potential condition of it, especially considering how the rest of his room looked, but she wasn't about to complain. After being hauled around like a sack of potatoes and hidden under a pile of filthy blankets she was in desperate need of a bath. He came back out of the bathroom, slowly walking back over to her. Again she was scooped up and carried, but this time it was into the small bathroom. To her surprise it was actually clean, well cleanish and the water that was running was for the sink and not the tub. He stopped by the sink for a minute, thinking. The last time he had had to stop and think he had dropped her. She prayed he didn't try the same thing here. He grunted, shifting her slightly. Then he lowered her down, her feet happily meeting the cool tile floor. Erick made sure she was steady before he finally let go of her. Even then he kept a hand out in case she needed it. He grabbed a wash cloth off the rim of the sink and dipped it into the warm water. He then began the slow process of trying to get the tape off without hurting her too badly. "Stay still." She just nodded slightly. He worked at the tape, eventually getting it off without too much trouble. She didn't wait for him to get the bandannas out. The second the tape was gone she half spit, half pulled them out of her mouth, thankful that they were finally gone. She wanted to scream at him, to shout for help, but she simply didn't have the energy to. Instead she motioned for a glass of water and he responded by stepping out of the way of the sink. Lila stepped forward, switching the water over to cold. When it was at the appropriate temperature she stuck her head under the faucet, greedily drinking from it.

When she had had her fill she motioned to the bath, indicating that she needed to clean the cuts on her wrists, but he shook his head no. Instead he changed the water back over to hot and pointed at her wrists. She hesitantly held them out to him, almost fearful of what he would do. He grabbed each wrist running a soapy wash cloth over the cuts. She flinched, hissing at the stinging sensation the soap and water caused. Thankfully they weren't deep, but they'd still give her trouble for a week or two. He finished cleaning them, making sure they were dry. When he was satisfied they had both wandered back into his room, Erick dragging her into his lap once they were both back on his mattress. He settled her where he wanted her and began to pet her head again. It wasn't the most comfortable position for her, but for now it worked. "Mine." She blinked. There was that word again. He stopped petting her head and he took her left hand. All she could was watch as he opened his free hand and showed her what he'd probably stuck in his pocket earlier, a ring. She knew that ring. Where had she seen it before? He turned it, slowly sliding it onto her ring finger. When he was through he let go of her hand allowing her to get a better look at it. Her eyes went wide the second she did.  
"Erick!" He shushed her, trying to hold her still. "Erick, this is Abigail's ring! How did you get it?"  
"Bray." There wasn't any other explanation offered. There was no way Bray had given him anything, which meant one thing; he had taken it. She started squirming, hoping to wrench herself free, but that earned her a one way ticket to landing back first onto the mattress. It wasn't a gentle landing either.  
He grabbed her by her shoulders, pinning her as best he could while he also tried to keep her quiet. "Shh they'll hear. Calm down." She didn't listen to him. She wanted them to hear, she needed them too.  
"No!" One of the hands came up over her face and before she could blink, she felt him cut off her air supply. It didn't help matters that he'd laid his arm across her chest, pushing the air out of her lungs. From there it was a matter of time. It didn't take her long to pass out. It really only took her a few seconds. But the last thing she saw was all of Erick's sorry attempts at taxidermy and all she could think was that she was probably next.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Lila rolled over, groaning when she felt the start of a pounding headache. Her mouth felt like sandpaper and it didn't help that her stomach felt like it was going to cave in on itself. She slowly opened her eyes, staring at the grey ceiling. It was unfamiliar. Her eyes traced the cracks in the plaster, trying to place them. Where was she? Had yesterday been just a bad dream? For a moment she began to wonder if any of it had been real. Then she turned her head.

What she saw made her leap up off the mattress and jump clear to the other end. Laying on her pillow was Erick's first attempt at a pet, a dried up fish head that he affectionately called Steve. She sat there staring at it, doing her best to calm herself, but it simply wasn't working. She looked around the room finding that nothing had changed. There were the same piles of junk everywhere, the same dead animal carcasses staring at her and one locked door preventing her escape, or was it? Lila stared at the door noticing it was cracked. Luke or Bray must've unlocked it and Erick had been foolish enough to leave it open when he had left. Not wanting to wait, Lila leapt up off the mattress, sprinting for the door. She had literally put a finger on it when she was jerked to an abrupt stop. What? Erick wasn't here. What could possibly stop her? Her eyes dropped to her waist and to her horror she found what was stopping her.  
"No…" Wrapped, well rather locked around her, was an old chain. She turned back seeing the other end firmly locked around the base of the radiator. "NO!" She gave it another hard tug just to be sure it was real. Where had it even come from? There had been no sign of it last night. That didn't mean anything though. It was obviously in here and he'd obviously put it on her after he had tried to suffocate her.

Just then she heard the door to the bedroom creak open. Part of her hoped it was Luke or Bray, but when she turned back, it was Erick. If it weren't for the chain, she would've gone for his face. Every fiber of her being wanted to simply claw it off. Instead she was forced to just stand and glare…..and yell. "ERICK!" He cringed. The door was quickly closed and he motioned for her to be quiet, but Lila refused to listen. "No!" She tried to walk right up to him, but the chain stopped her. "Dammit you've had your fun! Now let. Me. **GO**!" The last part was more of a muffled scream as Erick slapped his hand over her mouth to silence her.  
"Quiet, they'll hear." She rolled her eyes. As much as she wanted them to hear, she doubted it would do her any good now. The only person that could actually free her was also the one holding her captive and he wasn't prepared to let her go, not yet. So instead she did the only other thing she could; she pointed to the chain, watching him smile. "They can't take you away. You have to stay." She didn't find that reassuring. Lila tapped at his hand, feeling him pull it back.  
"Erick I can't stay."  
"You have too." She shook her head, but that only seemed to frustrate him. He reached down, grabbing her hand and holding it up to her face; reminding her of the ring. "That makes you mine." Actually with it being Abigail's ring, she suspected it actually made her still Bray's. But she gave him a sympathetic look, hoping it would help.  
"Erick, I can't be yours. I'm Bray's." He shook his head. "All of us are his. Putting a ring on my finger won't change that."  
"The ring…."  
"The ring is just a ring. It doesn't symbolize anything beyond a memory of Abigail. In order for it to mean what you want it to mean then there's a whole ceremony you have to do. Do you understand?" He shook his no which only made her tiredly roll her eyes. "Even if you don't understand that, then you will understand that Bray never said any of this was okay. He has to be furious over this, same with Luke." He shook his head again, gripping her hand even tighter.  
"Bray has Luke, Luke has me and now I have you." She blinked, unsure of what that actually meant. It took her a minute or two to realize Erick was referring to.  
"You realize that I can't do anything if I'm chained to the radiator, right?" Before he could answer, Bray's voice echoed up the stairs and into the hallway. Erick instinctively put his hand over her mouth to silence her.  
"They need me." He nodded towards the mattress. She wanted to argue with him, but one stern look ended that conversation, quick. Dragging her feet, Lila walked over to the mattress, doing her best to get comfortable. "Stay quiet, understand?" She nodded. They weren't done talking about this, not by a mile.

He picked up the mask, walking over to her. She watched him kneel down in front of her and hold it out to her. At first Lila simply didn't get it. What did he want her to do bless it? Then he showed her. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Lila took the mask from him, studying it for a minute. The poor thing had seen better days. By her estimation, all that was holding it together was tape and some string. He grunted. He needed to go, but part of her wanted to make him stay. If he didn't come when he was called then there was a chance they would come looking for him. If they came looking then they would find her, but she suspected he wouldn't let it get that far. So she dutifully pulled the string back, placing the mask over his face. He adjusted it slightly so it rested right.  
"Just stay here with Steve." She glanced over at the dried fish head and then back to him. "He'll protect you." She wanted to laugh at that. Right, sure. "And…"  
"I know, stay quiet." He nodded approvingly, lightly petting her head. "Just don't think we're done talking about this." He didn't give any kind of response. He didn't get time too. Bray had already called up for a second time and was likely to call again. Erick obviously didn't want to make him call for a third time.

Lila watched him go, infuriated beyond all belief. She had hoped she could get through to him, to convince him he needed to let her go. Obviously that wasn't going to be the case. She vented her frustration by glancing over at Steve and snatching him off the pillow. She really only had one shot at this, so she mustered up all her anger and hurled the dead fish in the general direction of the door. She watched it fly, finding an odd sense of satisfaction when it bounced off the wall and landed near the door with a smack. It actually made her laugh. Erick wouldn't be happy about it, but he would have to get over it. It wasn't like he was overly concerned with her happiness. If he was then he never would have lured her into that barn. He would have left her be; but that wasn't the case. Now here she sat, left to impatiently wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Bray stood on the porch watching Luke drag Erick in the general direction of the woods. He had planned on being patient, on waiting another day or two to see if Lila would reappear or if Erick would eventually tell them. That plan had gone by the wayside when Bray had woken up with an empty belly and no one to cook for him. He could tolerate one missed meal, two; absolutely not. Luke could tolerate less than that. After their chat, Luke still had a burning desire to tear the house apart. It was clear that the larger man didn't like it when things went amiss on his watch. He liked it even less after they both had heard a scuffle coming from the general direction of Erick's room. Luke had been half way up the stairs by the time Bray had caught him. The fact was that Erick couldn't be there when Lila was found, unless he willingly showed them and he had no intent on doing that. Erick equated hiding her with keeping her safe, so there was the possibility that he could try to protect her when she was found. Bray wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs. That's why he had suggested taking Erick out into the woods on a fool's errand. That way two birds could be killed with one stone; Luke could search the woods, while Bray took the house. It all made sense.

He waited for the two to disappear into the trees before he turned on his heel and headed back in the house. Bray took the stairs two at a time, pausing when he came to Erick's door. Erick hadn't responded right away, which meant there was the possibility that he was hiding Lila, or he was putting her back. There was a chance she was in his room, but he doubted it. In either case Bray still took the chance. He wasn't keen on wasting the entire day on looking for someone he intended on replacing. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the door open without a thought for what may be on the other side. He really didn't care what all he found in here. He was only after one thing and she had better be in here. When he saw the doorway was at least clear, Bray strode in glancing around. He noted the piles of crap that were strewn everywhere, along with the dried out animal carcasses. Erick had clearly been "collecting" again. Bray was beginning to wonder if Lila wasn't so much a companion as she was just another part of his collection.

Bray took a deeper scan of the room, finally finding the mattress along the back wall. On top of it seemed liked an odd collection of blankets and old clothes. He clucked his tongue thinking something wasn't right about that. Erick collected a lot of things, cloth wasn't among them. Rubbing his chin, Bray took a step forward, accidentally kicking something. He looked down finding Steve laying at his feet. "That's strange." Kneeling down, he picked up the dismembered head, giving it a good look. Erick would never leave the stupid thing just laying around. That's when his eyes spotted something even more peculiar than the fish head; laying near the center of the room was an old rusted length of chain. "The hell?" Bray got up and made his way over to the chain, his eyes following it. He found that one end was connected to the radiator, while the other vanished beneath the blankets. Putting two and two together, Bray dropped Steve and finally made his way over to the mattress. He reached out, grabbing the pile with both hands and pulled it away with ease to reveal a sleeping Lila. Well that was one mystery solved. She stirred ever so slightly, giving him a better view of the bruises that were forming around her waist. It was clear the chain had already done its duty of keeping her right where Erick wanted her, despite her best efforts to get away. She shifted again, absently reaching down to move the small lock that was holding the chain around her waist. From his vantage point he could see the cuts the ropes had left on her wrist. They were swollen and bruised, never mind the fact that they were starting to look infected. Despite his mixed feelings about the situation, he couldn't let them go untended. In his estimation she had already suffered enough. The awful truth was none of this was Lila's fault. She didn't deserve what was about to happen to her, but Bray hadn't been left with a choice. It wouldn't matter how badly Erick was punished; he would still pursue her, and that was something that Bray would not allow. Shifting his eyes from her wrist, Bray leaned down glaring at the lock for a minute. What the in hell was he supposed to do about that? He didn't recognize it, which meant it wasn't one he had the key for. If anything it was something that Erick had found in his travels. Bray had little doubt that the key to it was out in the middle of the woods somewhere with Luke. He inwardly groaned at that. Damn Erick for being far more clever than any of them thought. He reached out toying with it for a second before he let it go. What he needed were some bolt cutters. The question was, where had Luke stashed them?

Bray stood up and headed out of Erick's room, a man on a mission. He kept running through all the places that they might be. In the basement? No. The Barn? Again no. They never kept anything except unwanted company out there. He paused in the living room, still thinking. Where in the hell were they? He turned his head, staring out the side window of the house and right at the old shed. Bray went for the front door, almost running out of it. The shed. It was the only logical place they could be. Ten minutes later he triumphantly returned to Lila's side, bolt cutters in hand. He kneeled down, ready to cut the chain loose when he saw it. Peeking through her hair was just a glint of silver. Lila didn't own any jewelry, at least not anymore. Bray had taken what little she had come with to sell.

He released the bolt cutters, gently setting them on the floor. With a trembling hand, he reached out, brushing the hair away from her hand to reveal a ring on her left ring finger. That alone was enough to send him to a new level of annoyed, but what was worse was it wasn't just any ring; it was one of Abigail's old rings. He'd been searching for it for weeks with no luck. How fortunate that the missing ring had turned up on Lila's finger. It was becoming painfully clear how busy Erick really had been. This hadn't been some half assed scheme he had thrown together at the last second. He had planned this out, in detail. He had watched and waited for his right moment. Bray wasn't sure whether to be infuriated or impressed at that. Not that he had time to be either. He had a job to do and it was far past time for her to go. Pulling his hand away from hers, he reached out and rested it on Lila's shoulder giving it a shake. She shifted, but she didn't wake. "Lila." He shook her again, hard this time. "Lila!" She turned her head looking up at him, slowly opening her eyes. "Wake Up."


End file.
